structure and release, creative outlet and consistency of routine, and hard work along with expressive play.

commitment

keep standards high

the use of dance and music to revive European imm grant cultures and to alleviate social fragmentation of such groups

Now, youth .were drawn to dance, drama, and other forms of art as a means to form strong, safe group affiliations

Verbal communication in all three dance groups played no more impor­tant a role than other forms of expression and displays of knowing.

Instructors always move with the youths, never asking them to do any­thing they do not do themselves.

she saw "their creative juices flowing" in writing, speaking, dancing, and singing activities, The youths "create their own performances , , , working out what they want to have as the basis of a script, dance, or song," and the themes they selected were those of their everyday lives,

For urban youth organizations that want to attract youth away from the seductive life of the streets or the violence and sexual exploitation pro­mOted in much commercial entertainment, the organization of insttuction and of performance stands at the center of the effectiveness of dance.

"Some of them we'll reach-! don't care if they're going to be professional dancers or not. That's not the point. The point is that they're working close with a teacher, and that's going to reflect for all their lives.

dance will help the youngsters aca­demically and personally.

Henri explains the philosophy as well as practices of Liberty as search­ing for ways "to make these kids proud of themselves as capable of doin' something good, really good. They need that, and they'll never come to do it unless we let them know they can."

writing, speaking, dancing, and singing activities,

ocus on workshops in African folk dance, oral his­tory, and innovative African American drama for the adults and youths of the neighboring housing projects

The per­forming atts of these groups came to be central to the entertainment of the folk festivals that had begun to flourish in the early 1970s. These festivals cel­ebrated immigrant ethnic groups,

youth leaders and community representatives who argued the value of the arts were performers from the neighborhoods or ethnic groups whose youngsters they wanted to involve in the arts. Many of these performers-particularly African Americans-had their beginnings in the 1960s and 1970s, in the height of ethnic pride movements centered in store­front theaters, galleries, bookstores, and social halls of local churches.

"They help you here to know that you gotta learn to walk around what's out there. Keep your head up and keep on gain'.

For most of the youth, as well as for many of the adults who label themselves "realistic," their Old World ethnicity is really "food, fun, and festivals" and a commitment to what they see as working-class values and morals-hard work and honesty.

Throughout this production, youngsters heard Liberty's staff explain that the news commentator at the scene of the shoot­ing and on the evening news hour could not use African American English vernacular but only mainstream American standard English, For those who played the roles of reporters and broadcasters to achieve appropriate dic­tion, word choice, and eye gaze required considerable attention and prac­tice

Unlike most children's theaters that work to perfect short-term productions that parents and friends will attend, Liberty focused on producing a video­tape as their final performance; instead of building sets, they filmed on loca­tion-in the projects, in local churches, or on the streets, The premiere showing of the finished video project took place at Liberty, with friends invited to attend for a big party, but life in the projects did not afford the luxury of going out at night safely, Thus, a primary goal of making the videotapes was for the youngsters to be able to take the tapes with them to play wherever and with whomever they wished,

These narratives, as well as their strong support of movement both violent and subtle, allow much to be communicated that might not be verbalized directly

history of dance as an expression of ethnic heritage, culturally valued narratives and forms of movement, and social protest underscored these leaders' special commitment to this art.

potential role of the arts in creating for young people a sense of story, intense holistic involvement across a range of activ­ities, and a connecting quasi-spiritual bridge to both a past and a future Jed some youth leaders and philanthropic foundations to try immersion in the arts for youngsters

to the arts to find ways to attract what they regarded as "at-risk" youth away from drugs

My people had used music to soothe slavery's tormenl or to propitiate God, or to describe the sweetness of love and the distress of lovelessness, bull knew no race could sing and donee its way to freedom